


Children of the Night

by TitanExpert



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-14
Updated: 2013-11-26
Packaged: 2018-01-01 11:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1044294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitanExpert/pseuds/TitanExpert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"For over a hundred years the children of the night have tormented their human counterpart, sparking a bloody and stalemate war between the two. The three districts of Maria, Rose, and Sina soon became the only safe havens for the remaining, and slowly dying, human race. Anyone who ventures outside of these districts risked their lives, by walking into their territory. Humanity was surely fated to slowly die out behind the walls of such safe havens until a few unlikely supporters joined The Alliance."<br/>Vampire AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Halloween

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AskAHeichou (AKA Shikarius)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=AskAHeichou+%28AKA+Shikarius%29).
  * Inspired by [Ask Blog Halloween](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/30759) by askaheichou. 



Halloween. A holiday for small children to dress up and ask for candy on doorsteps and for the young adult youth to throw parties filled with food, alcohol, and God knows what else. A holiday reserved for scary movie marathons, ghost stories, and superstitions. However, for a different kind of world, Halloween is the night of the annual ball hosted by a man known only as the King in the inner district of Sina.

            For over a hundred years the children of the night have tormented their human counterpart, sparking a bloody and stalemate war between the two. The three districts of Maria, Rose, and Sina soon became the only safe havens for the remaining, and slowly dying, human race. Anyone who ventures outside of these districts risked their lives, by walking into _their_ territory. Humanity was surely fated to slowly die out behind the walls of such safe havens until a few unlikely supporters joined The Alliance.

            “Fucking hell,” A short man raved in front of a bathroom mirror. The artificial light emphasized the dark blue and purple bruises and bite marks scattered all over his neck and chest. “You know these things bruise. Tch. I bet you’re pretty fucking proud of yourself.”

            The short man yawned and glared at the, considerably, taller man standing behind him. The perfectly styled, blond hair of the taller man irritated the shorter man down to the off center part. The tall man smirked and glanced at the watch on his wrist before fixing his tuxedo.

            “Hurry up, Levi. We’re already late.”

            The short man, Levi, glared at the taller man who was leaning casually against the bathroom doorway before he begrudgingly fixed his tousled hair, aside from the undercut, and nursing his bruises. The bruises and the bite marks would heal, surely. Though, it wasn’t inflicted by just some normal creature, or human being for that matter, it was inflicted by a fellow vampire. Might as well be human. After a couple of minutes, Levi clicked his tongue and tossed the rag he was using back into the sink.

            “You’re such a pain in the ass, Erwin.”

            There was a smirk and a chuckle from Erwin, an elongated point glinting slightly, reflecting the light above them.

            “I’ll give you ten minutes,” He said simply, before turning away from the door, disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

            Just as Erwin expected, in ten minutes exactly, Levi walked down the stairs, fixing the cravat he picked out for the evening—a particularly lacy one to which Levi responded with, “shut the fuck up” to Erwin’s comment—and pulling on the jacket, smoothing it over with his hands. Levi put his hands in his pockets and looked up at Erwin.

            “Let’s get this stupid party over with. I’m starving, I haven’t had anything for a week,” Levi spat out.

            “Calm down. There’s a bar, you can spend your time there.”

            “Tch. Better that talking up the bourgeois. It’s a waste of our time, they think we’ll turn around and suck them dry anyway. Sometimes I think we should to make a statement.”

            “Levi…”

            “I’m joking,” Levi deadpanned.

            A harsh knock echoed through the massive house, cutting the conversation short. Erwin opened the massive, oak doors to reveal a man in a suit. A nonchalant expression veiled the man’s face as he tipped his hat toward the two men. He opened the door to the car, closed it after the two slid in, and moved back to his position in the driver’s seat. Erwin didn’t need to tell the man the destination. Not today. The car jerked slightly as it took a moment to start again. As they cruised through the streets of the outer areas of Sina, Levi leaned back onto the leather car seat and crossed one leg over the other, tapping his fingernails impatiently against the armrest by the door.

            “I don’t understand why you drag me there every year. We never meet the King, anyway. He just Gatsby’s his own party.”

            “Careful. You’ll show your age if you keep that up,” Erwin commented, casting a sidelong glance at Levi.

            “That occult groupie can mention something ancient, but I can’t. How ironic,” Levi scoffed.

            Erwin sighed and fixed his cufflinks in mild annoyance.

            “She’s a researcher,” He reminded. “Everyone knows she’s a human.”

            Levi scoffed again, glancing out the tinted windows. “Might as well be one of us going by her fucked up sleeping pattern.”

            Erwin laughed at this.

            The rest of the car ride was filed with silence. Levi wore his perpetual scowl as he watched the city lights go by. Once in a while he would catch the glimpse of a group of children in costume. Erwin, as always, looked like the perfect model of the Commander, the position The Alliance granted him, sitting straight against the back of the car seat despite it’s shaky movement, holding a flawless posture, hair smoothed down, tuxedo free of any kind of dust, and hands folded neatly on his lap.

            The car began to slow down after another twenty minutes on the road, finally stopping in front of a castle-like home, the well-known residence of the King and the head quarters of the Police. The very best of what The Alliance had to offer, all put beside the King. Levi’s scowl turned into a look of disdain.

            _I’m wasting my fucking time here._

            The two men waited for the doors to open and stepped out onto the gravel of the driveway leading up to the stairs, which then led to the doors. Already Levi could smell the blood circulating through the human bodies that attended the ball. As soon as Levi and Erwin passed the threshold, the sound of a string quartet floated into their ears.

            Such a sweet sound soon overpowered by someone else.

            “Erwin Smith!” A woman called—no. Shouted.

            Levi immediately groaned and felt Erwin elbow him.

            “Hanji Zoe,” Erwin greeted politely, his voice smooth as silk. “How nice to see you.”

            “I’ll say the same to you!” Hanji said, laughing, to the two of them.

            Levi glared at the woman. She had the same shitty pair of eyeglasses hanging on her nose, but her dark brown hair was let down—going just past her shoulders—and Levi at least appreciated the fact that the woman took the time to bathe before arriving. Hanji Zoe, on the other hand, smiled brightly at the two men and joined them as they continued to make their way toward the heart of the party.

            “You found us quite quickly, Hanji.”

            “Well,” Hanji began enthusiastically. “I only just got here myself. I arrived with Mike Zakarius and his squad. Though one cannot miss the contrast of Levi’s incredibly dark hair and porcelain skin—“

            “I would enjoy,” Levi interrupted harshly. “If you didn’t talk about me as if I’m not standing right here and especially like some kind of doll. I am not your play thing, Four Eyes.”

            Hanji moved her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and a different kind of smirk quirked at the edge of her lips.

            “Ah, but you people are so interesting! And to think that the two of your would join The Alliance willingly… Well, I can’t seem to help myself.”

            Hanji brought her hands up to her chin, incredibly excited, bringing her dress up along with them. This caused her to reveal much more skin than was appropriate. Of course the woman had no shame.

            “All of the hypotheses that I would like to experiment on…” Hanji said, bright eyed. “It’s incredibly difficult to catch a vampire out on the battlefield. It’s hard enough to kill them. Even then, they’re hard to experiment on. It has to be precise since it’s against their will. But if I got to experiment on perfectly healthy specimen who willingly came to The Alliance, I would be completely insane not to jump at the opportunity—“

            “Wouldn’t that be going against the Truce?” Levi eyed her suspiciously.

            Hanji, herself, chuckled. A vampire is talking about legalities.

            “Are you assuming people don’t already go against the Truce? There’s a war right outside of these boundaries, Levi. The Truce is nothing but a piece of paper and trust. Every day we get new cases of abductions and murders—“

            “What’s your point?” Levi growled.

            “Mm. I’m saying that it wouldn’t matter if I was going against the Truce. The Police are too wrapped up in their black market handlings to care in the first place. Not to worry, though, my scientific needs are excused in the Truce. Though there aren’t a lot of experiments that I can run through. Most of the ancient beliefs have either been proven right or wrong out in the battlefield.”

            “What’s the point, then? Living the life long dream of an occult groupie?”

            Hanji chuckled again, but later shook her head.

            “Efficiency,” was all she said.

            Levi looked at her curiously before turning back to the party. Hanji had brought her hands back down by her sides and watched as new recruits awkwardly socialized with themselves and veterans danced. Erwin immediately began to greet the aristocracy of Sina. After hearing Hanji blabber about for about five minutes, Levi excused himself and went searching for the reason he was staying at this dreadful party. The bar. Within two hours, Levi successfully drank all of the alcohol available, gaining disgusted looks from the Sina aristocrats and worried looks from the bartenders. Now that his mind was muddled with the expected effects of alcohol, Levi can only think of how incredibly hungry he was.

           “Erwin, we seem to be missing someone,” Hanji whispered into the Commander’s ear.

           Erwin excused himself from the conversation he was in and turned to face Hanji, putting a hand on her back, leading her closer to the string quartet, the music drowning out any external noise.

           “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Erwin reassured her as he scanned the room. The woman smirked and crossed her arms.

           “Erwin Smith, you are a terrible liar outside the battlefield.”

           Erwin frowned at this. He distinctly remembered what Levi told him before they departed for this party. Just as he opened his mouth to mention this to Hanji, a blood-curdling scream cut through the music. The dancers stopped and the musicians fell out of their harmony into discord shortly before stopping altogether. All movement stopped and Erwin immediately made their way towards the direction the scream came from, Hanji following closely behind. Smelling the blood, Erwin immediately knew the level of the situation.

           Hanji’s eyes widened as she saw blood pooling around a young recruit on the marble floor. She got down on her knees, not caring about the blood staining the fabric of her dress, and reached to the side of the boy’s neck.

          “There’s a pulse,” Hanji said after a moment, relieved. “But barely. Erwin—“

           Hanji turned to face the Commander, but only faced the distraught crowd that had formed. She can see the head of blond hair push and weave through the crowd. Standing up, Hanji asked the crowd to make way.

           “Are you a friend of this boy?” She asked as soon as the boy made his way to the front. He nodded.

           “Armin Arlert, from the 104th.”

           “And he is…?” Hanji asked, pointing to the floor.

           “Eren Jager. Also from the 104th.”

 

           Erwin found Levi laying on the leather couch in what he assumed to be the cigar room. Feeling his presence, Levi held up a bloody hand, pointing at the high ceiling lazily before he spoke.

           “One,” Levi slurred. “Found the bar.”

           Erwin watched, furious and irritated, as Levi struggled with remembering what comes after one, while trying to stay awake.

           “Th…T… Two,” Levi mumbled, holding up two fingers now. “Drank the bar... Three… May or may not have bitten one of the new recruits… I can’t remember their name…”

           Levi brought the hand to his face to wipe off the bit of blood trickling out of the left corner of his lips and raised it in front of his face, inspecting it. Judging by his expression, Erwin would say that Levi realized just what stained his hand red. The man simply clicked his tongue and mumbled a comment about the blood being filthy and needing to clean. Erwin was about to pull Levi back up to a standing position and essentially carry the man back to the care, leaving the party before anyone could point fingers—but a heavy silence fell upon the party, the faint sound of rushing water from the fountain outside filling the void. Back in the ballroom, Hanji Zoe suddenly found it difficult to breathe. A slow wave of murmurs hit the crowd and she caught the word “kind” among them. Despite being rooms away from the ballroom, Levi and Erwin knew exactly what caused such a silence.

           “Well,” Levi said. “You said you wanted to see the King.” 


	2. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback.

Hanji Zoe pulled the hood of her cloak over her head as the rain began to downpour. More than once, had she wiped the lenses of her goggles free of the rainwater obscuring her view. _Three up ahead, four to my right. Today the weather is with them; the clouds are obscuring the sun._ She heard the shout of Commander Erwin Smith before pulling on the reins of her horse, telling him to move toward the right. The woman brought up a hand and fired the flare, signaling the rest of her squad and two nearby to keep moving. All was well.

“Evergreen cloaks—“ Hanji heard the voice whisper into her ear.

She didn’t flinch. Sign one: they’ll play with your fears.

“Bearing the wings of freedom—“ The voice felt like air against her neck.

Sign two: they’ll begin to mock you.

“This one smells delicious—“

Sign three: they’ll tell you how great of a meal you are.

Hanji Zoe quickly brought up her hands and shot to her right. A shriek was heard as the vampire crumpled to the ground. The squad leader glanced back just as the creature hit the ground, eyes burnt out of their sockets with a bullet hole in between them--a smirk quirked at the corner of her lips as she continued. A Tier 5 vampire--recently changed, unfed, quickly descending into madness. The change did not do them well. All humanity stripped away from them—or whatever kind of humanity vampires liked to believe they had—leaving them to be animals and monsters. The monsters mothers use to strike fear into their children’s hearts.

Hanji heard a scream behind her and pulled at the reins, stopping movement. Looking behind her, Hanji was only able to see the empty space above a horse that should have held a body. Another body was snatched quickly and her brown eyes widened in surprise. The undeniable black coats. A Tier 3. Surprises happen in every expedition, but not one like this. Erwin Smith had a miscalculation. _Or did he?_ Quickly, Hanji loaded a flare before raising a hand and firing. The black smoke spread out quickly and others followed. Stowing away the flare gun, Hanji quickly made her way toward her fallen comrade only to be stopped by another Tier 3.

Quickly, Hanji pulled out two handguns and began shooting. The first bullet missed, as expected, but the second clipped it on the shoulder. A scream of pain escaped from her lips as the vampire held it in her hand. The sound of burning flesh could be heard as Hanji steered her horse toward the creature, unsheathing her blade. The chemicals spread out through the body of the vampire, eliciting a look of panic before the squad leader passed, slicing easily through bone and flesh—successfully beheading the vampire.

Hanji expertly dismounted her horse and made her way toward the injured soldier. Already, his body was trembling from the shock as the venom moved through his veins. Hanji completely despised treating Tier 3 inflicted wounds. Any bite, scratch, or blood transfer from them elicited an immediate change. For the vampires, Tier 3 vampires were valuable and rare. The researcher was completely taken by surprise finding them so early on. Perhaps the creatures had begun to change their tactics. If that were the case, Erwin Smith would need more than a couple of double agents. Or perhaps… There were a couple of double agents in the midst. Shaking her head, Hanji quickly reached into her medic bag and pulled out a syringe. After loading it with the antidote that she single handedly created and after she found the vein in the man’s arm, she pierced the skin, holding down the trembling body with her knees. The trembling slowly stopped before the man lost consciousness altogether as the medicine began to take affect.

“Moblit!” Hanji shouted.

“Yes Squad Leader?” Moblit asked, making his way toward her.

Hanji pulled off her cloak, putting it on top of the injured soldier after failing to find his. At the moment, he needed it more than she did.

“Has the signal for retreat been sent out yet?”

Moblit shook his head. “No, ma’am. It seems that your signal was ignored.”

Hanji cursed under her breath. What was that man thinking?

“Alright,” She said after a moment of thought in an authoritative tone. Standing up, Hanji ignored the biting cold winds and the icy rainwater seeping through the fabric of her uniform. “Help me get this soldier onto my horse. I don’t know what Erwin is thinking, but we can’t just go back. I have an extra flare. Hopefully this ti—“

Hanji Zoe suddenly found herself being thrown and landed on her back harshly. She let out a grunt of pain before pulling out her gun just before she caught sight of the slight glint of the unforgettable fangs that protruded past the lips of the creature. Tier 5. Hanji pulled the trigger once, twice before the body of the vampire toppled on top of her. The woman hefted the body off of her, lying in the mud for a moment to catch her breath.

A pale hand reached out to her. Immediately Hanji recognized the porcelain, white skin and a knowing smirk pulled at her lips. Wrapping her hand around the man’s thumb, Hanji hoisted herself up. She ignored the comment Levi made about the mud staining her shirt.

“If I’m seeing you, I assume we’re heading back?” The squad leader asked, fighting the pain shooting down her back. The vampire nodded.

“Erwin got worried when he lost sight of you.”

“What, the black signal flares weren’t enough?” Hanji spat, accusingly.

Levi frowned. Had there been signal flares fired? Too many sounds were thrown into the mix and must have drowned them out. Soldiers screaming, gunshots fired, the rain—all of it. It was easy for signal flares to be lost.

“We’ll discuss that back at headquarters,” Levi said, tight lipped. “Just get back on your horse.”

“There’s an injured soldier. I was tending to him before I got attacked—“

“A medical cart already picked him up.”

 

Hanji breathed a sigh of relief. Levi furrowed his brows. Did she know the man? Hanji asked Levi if she could use his body for support as she made her way back to her horse, something he reluctantly agreed to. The trip back was long and tiring for Hanji. Her back was throbbing in pain and she was starting to feel the effect the rain had on her. The squad leader somehow made her way back to the headquarters before collapsing out of fatigue soon after dismantling her horse.

 

When she came to, Hanji Zoe found Erwin Smith sitting by her bed, leafing through the pages in her notes and Levi leaning against the wall by the doorway. Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something a cough itched its way up her throat and she turned away, coughing into her hand. It was then Hanji felt the heaviness of her eyelids, her head felt like a jar full of cotton, and she found it irritatingly difficult to breath. It was a simple cold, but Hanji Zoe wondered if this was what death must feel like.

“You nearly killed yourself,” Levi deadpanned, the perpetual scowl plastered on to the man’s face.

“I can deal with a cold, Levi,”

“You nearly came down with hypothermia, Squad Leader,” Erwin chimed in, “You should have—“

“What about him?” Hanji asked, cutting off Erwin’s concerns. She was tired of them chiding her.

“The soldier?” Hanji nodded. “He seems to be stable. A slight fever, thought I’m sure that’s from the terrible weather rather than your vaccine.”

Hanji breathed a sigh of relief. Levi looked at her curiously. Such camaraderie. When he spoke to the soldier, he did not even know Hanji Zoe. It was a rare case, but he was a new recruit. The woman risked her life to save someone she had no prior relations with. It was true, Levi despised unnecessary deaths, but the man didn’t know whether he should be impressed or be put off by her stupidity.

Hanji ran a hand over the shirt she was given, feeling the bandages on her chest wrapped tightly. Perhaps she injured herself more than she originally thought.

“Like I said,” Erwin spoke again. “You nearly killed yourself today.”

“Nothing—“ Hanji struggled to say, pushing herself into a sitting position. “I can’t handle.”

Erwin closed her notebook harshly. The loud thump echoed in the room, followed by a harsh, thick silence.

“You humans are so fragile,” Erwin said somewhat bitterly, putting the notebook back on the stack that threatened to topple over by her nightstand. “You cannot heal like us or live like us, yet there are those like you that not only risk their life outside of these boundaries, but you also put yourself in more compromising positions by getting off of your horse to help a fallen soldier, knowing full well what could happen to you—“

“Do you despise it, then?” Hanji asked, cutting off Erwin once again.

“With your fifty solo kills in combat as well as the insanity to do that—“ Erwin pointed to the stack of notebooks. “You are quite valuable to The Alliance. I would like to think that you value your life a little more.”

“Killing your own kind. I wonder how that must feel like.”

Levi pulled his lips into a tight line. “Most of the ones you’ve killed were human.”

“They _were_ ,” Hanji emphasized “were” bitterly—not looking at either one of them.

“Anyway,” Hanji sighed, tired. “What are you two doing here, anyway? I’m sure you have a stack of papers to fill out and meetings to attend…”

“We were sent to relay a message to you—“ Levi scoffed as if to say, “yeah right” sarcastically. “--The new recruits are going to arrive tomorrow. You and Squad Leader Zakarius are to greet them. We figured pulling you out of your room would be a rather terrible idea.”

Hanji nodded in understanding. She picked up a different notebook and began scribbling in notes—ever the researcher. As Erwin stood up, Hanji faced him with a smile.

“You don’t have to be so formal, Erwin. You’ve been in The Alliance for more than five years.”

“Time works differently for someone like me, Hanji Zoe.”

As Erwin made his way to the door, Hanji stopped her scribbling.

“The new recruits… Is that boy with them?”

“The half?”

Hanji nodded, a mixture of excitement and concern showing on her face.

“If my sources are correct, he should be.”

“What’s his name again?”

“Eren Jager.”


	3. The King

That’s right. That’s where she knew the name Eren Jager--part of the new batch of recruits from the 104th Training Class. As the crowd parted, Hanji felt an ominous feeling overwhelm her as she watched as feet shuffled around her. The boy she vaguely remembered named Armin stood stiff as the man she believed to be the King approached her.

Already the skirt of her dress was torn, the fabric used as a makeshift bandage around Eren’s neck. Someone behind her cleared his throat and she turned around to see a young man, perhaps in his early twenties. He had his black hair slicked back. He stood stiffer than a board in Hanji’s opinion. She understood the severity of the situation, but there was no need to walk around like there was a wooden board strapped to his back. Hanji made sure she tied the fabric tight enough and stood up again. Her dress now barely reached her ankles and the blood of the boy stained her dress oddly. The color was darker where her knees were and slowly moved out into branches of dripping blood going past the end of her skirt.

“Are you the one who found the victim?” The young man asked.

“Yes. Who might you be? I’m no Sina aristocrat, but you don’t look like a king to me.”

“The King is currently busy with other affairs at the moment. My name is Marlowe Frendenberg, an officer of the Police.”

Hanji opened her mouth as if to say, “ah” in understanding and nodded. The crowd began to, slowly, disperse—though the heavy silence stayed. Looking down, Hanji just began to realize how much blood was really on the floor. Silently, she apologized to whomever was going to clean up such a mess.

“Miss—“

“Hanji Zoe.”

“Ms. Hanji Zoe, the King sent me here to ask you to assist in the aid of the injured.”

“Ah, of course,” After a moment, Hanji added, “May this boy join me? He may be able to help with figuring out how this happened.”

She already had an impending idea of exactly who caused this but for the sake of preserving the sanity of the party guests, Hanji decided against the suggestion.

Reluctantly, the officer nodded and Hanji asked Armin to help her move the unconscious—yet thankfully alive—body of Eren Jager. However, if the rumors were true, she didn’t need to worry in the first place. By the time the small group headed toward the hallway, the music began to play again and the chatter rose to a buzz among the party guests. Marlowe led them to one of the many empty bedrooms and Hanji lifted Eren onto the bed with slight effort and inspected his wound. As she thought, it was already beginning to heal. Before Hanji could ask herself, Armin asked Marlowe to bring some water to the room. A couple of seconds after the officer left, there was a heavy knock on the door. Something told Hanji that she would know the person on the other side.

“Erwin Smith,” Hanji said in a slight accusatory tone, pulling the door open and putting her hands on her hips.

“Your dress—“

“Is ruined, yes. Would you like to tell me what happened to your Lance Corporal?”

Erwin looked past her at the blond boy sitting on the bed, watching the two of them with confusion and worry. Realizing that his attention was shifted, Hanji stepped aside.

“This is Armin Arlert, friend of Eren Jager. Both—“

“Part of the 104th,” Erwin interrupted, causing Hanji to twitch an eyebrow in annoyance. The man walked past her and held out his hand to Armin.

“You are the young man that saved the headquarters during the invasion of Trost, yes?”

The young boy nodded, taken by surprise at the respectable smile on the Commander’s face. _Always the charmer._ Hanji cleared her throat obnoxiously—now thoroughly annoyed.

“You dodged my question, _Commander_. Where is your Lance Corporal?”

“He is in the car, going back home.”

“You know he—“ Hanji began, nearly shouting in frustration. For a moment, she lost her composure. Clenching her fists and taking a deep breath, Hanji lowered her voice before continuing. “You know he created a crime scene?” She whispered.

“Yes, I know,” Erwin whispered back harshly. “But it’s better than having him unattended, again, to go on a rampage—“

“Are you telling me that your Lance Corporal—“

“No! I’m just saying—“

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Armin spoke up. He was standing this time. Both the Squad Leader and the Commander had completely forgotten that it wasn’t just the two of them in the room. “But I can hear you. I’m not going to turn in him… If that’s what you’re worried about.”

Hanji sighed and took a seat in one of the armchairs that furnished the massive room, crossing one leg over the other, before slumping back. She took her glasses off and began rubbing her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. What a situation this became. The woman leaned her head back and saw Erwin looking down behind her and she frowned.

“How are you going to fix this?” Hanji asked him, her usual vibrancy and enthusiasm replaced by exhaustion and concern. Erwin sighed and rested his hands on the back of the chair his fingertips gently brushing her hair.

“The King has heard about this?”

Hanji nodded and pointed to the door.

“An officer named Marlowe cam over on behalf of his royal highness and asked me to assist in the medical aid for Eren. He’s already healing, though, you don’t have to worry.”

There was a light knock before the door opened and Marlowe walked in with a bowl of hot water and a clean towel. Hanji began to move up to stand before a hand rested on her shoulder.

“Arlert, do you have any medical experience?”

“Only what I’ve learned in training.”

“Good, please take care of your friend.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hanji looked up at Erwin with a puzzled expression. The man put his free hand on her other shoulder and gently pushed her back on the chair.

“I think you need rest. When did you go to sleep last night?”

Hanji leaned back and sighed. She took off her glasses once more, fatigue trickling over her being.

“I’m not too sure. A couple of hours before dawn?” She said after a moment of thought. Erwin opened his mouth to say something before Marlowe interrupted.

“Excuse me, sir,” He said in the same stiff fashion. “Are you Commander Erwin Smith?”

Marlowe suddenly became completely rigid, if that was even possible, at the realization. Hanji sat in the armchair unfazed. That was usually the reaction after one met Erwin Smith face to face for the first time. It wasn’t everyday you see a vampire being part of the military but a commander was just unheard of--to the Police anyway. For the Legion, it was nothing new. Erwin had been Commander for over five years, to the members of the notorious military division, seeing Erwin Smith commanding an army was quite ordinary.

“Was that all?” Erwin asked, slightly confused.

“T-the King left this with me,” The young man stammered out. He walked over and handed the Commander what seemed to be a folded message. Standing up straight, Erwin took the paper from Marlowe and unfolded it. Everyone, including Armin, watched as Erwin’s eyes scanned over the paper. Hanji saw his expression change slightly, his eyebrows pressing toward the space between them and she almost asked if he needed to leave. There was no need, it seemed. Erwin swiftly refolded the letter and briskly made his way out the door. It closed with a heavy thump and a moment of silence passed before Hanji turned to Marlowe.

“Is the party still going on?” She asked kindly.

“Yes.”

Hanji nodded and pulled herself up off of the armchair, the leather creaking as she moved. She checked the status of Eren and was slightly happy to see that he was healing fine. He may, one day, be interesting to study, however he was still a human being—or half—and his wellbeing was more important. Hanji thanked Armin for his help and told him to get back to head quarters safely. She waved off the worried comment that left Marlowe’s lips and walked back to the party, keeping an eye out for her friend.

She spotted him almost immediately. Nearly as tall as Erwin, Mike Zakarius stuck out well among the crowd. Standing next to Nanaba, the two were in the process of chatting up the Sina aristocracy. Hanji ignored the looks and whispers as she passed by and made her way toward the party she arrived with. Mike turned to face her before she reached up to tap his arm.

“I almost can’t recognize you with that perfume, but I smelled the blood on your dress and assumed.”

“So you heard,” Hanji said, sighing.

“Of course. You sound worn out, are you going to head back?”

 

Glancing around, Hanji nodded. She couldn’t spot Erwin anywhere. Wherever the man went, he was being kept for a while. Not surprising, but to Hanji, it was quite worrisome in light of recent events.

* * *

“The King is making you do the dirty work, I see,” Erwin said calmly as he entered the office of Nile Dok, head of the Police.

The man was a panicked wreck. He was already wary of allowing vampires into The Alliance. Now that one of them attacked a human, despite him being a recruit for the Legion, terrified him. The paperwork already began to filter in. He drummed his fingers nervously against the oak surface of his desk. The man’s tie was sloppily undone and the light reflected off of the sweat on his brow.

“You should be grateful that the King didn’t come out o his own accord,” Nile responded.

There was a brief silence before Erwin took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, making Nile twitch.

“What is it then?” Erwin asked, his tone charming and inviting. He reached into the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket and pulled out the note Marlowe left him.

“’On the behalf of the King, Nile Dok will discuss the disciplinary actions that should take into affect immediately.’ That’s what this paper says.”

The Commander slipped the note back into his pocket and laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on the armrests. Erwin Smith’s concern did not lie on the fear of Nile. It resided with the mercy of the King. Ultimately, he knew who caused such a scene. It was the safety of Levi that concerned him. What disciplinary action would the King enact upon—

“If it was my decision,” Nile said harshly. “I would execute him. I don’t understand why his highness trusts you… Creatures. He decided to merely cut the budget this month—“

“I’m afraid that will punish Hanji more than either one of us.”

“—And to put Lance Corporal Levi on probation until further notice.”

“Hmm,” Erwin thought out loud. “Is that all?”

“It would seem so. Next time keep a better eye on… him,”

“He isn’t a pet, Nile. He is a person just like you and I. He is completely capable of making his own decisions.”

“Obviously they aren’t wise decisions—“

“Nile if we are done here, I would very much like to leave.”

“There will also be two members of the Police there to make sure these things take affect.”

“… Understood.”

Erwin left swiftly and didn’t bother joining the party once again. He did leave Levi heavily intoxicated. Stepping out into the cold, Erwin managed to see Hanji step into a car. She was speaking to the driver and Erwin noticed the tired look on her face. He was glad that she decided to leave the party early to get some rest, though he doubted that she would go to bed immediately.


End file.
